Man arrested for pointing gun at woman on I-35 in Lancaster

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A driver has been arrested and charged with deadly conduct for pointing a gun at a woman in a road rage incident on I-35E last Friday in Lancaster.

Police say once they identified the man on Monday, they contacted him and he willingly went in for questioning before being released. But on Tuesday, he was arrested. And the woman who says she was at the other end of his gun on the highway is relieved.

Joseph Sida, 49, was arrested Tuesday afternoon by Lancaster police after being ID’d as a person of interest on Monday. He was booked into the Tri-City Jail for the alleged road rage incident.

When Sida talked to police on Monday, he claimed the gun was self-defense.

“He said he saw something in the other person’s hand in the other driver’s hand,” said Detective Joseph Brickett. “He thought it was a weapon.”

Police said the road rage incident happened about 3 p.m. Friday on northbound I-35E close to I-20. The driver was aggressively braking and seemingly trying to cause an accident. That’s when Victoria Best pulled out her phone.

"I'm happy that he's been arrested because I don't want him doing the same thing to someone else or scaring somebody else like he scared me,” Best said. “I could've caused an accident. I could've hurt other people driving on the road by just seeing him pointing the gun at me and swerving.”

An arrest affidavit states police got his license plate from Best’s video and tracked him down for an interview, during which he "admitted to pointing the pistol at the victim.” But it was also during that interview that police say Sida claimed self-defense.

Police say Sida does have a concealed handgun license. In fact, his boss says he carries a weapon for work.

Best was shocked when we told her Sida works as an armed security guard for a company contracted by the Dallas Zoo.

"For him to get that angry, get angry enough to point a gun at me, it was uncalled for,” she said. “And he needs to be punished."

Sida was booked into the Tri-City Jail on $1,000 bond. His boss says his employment is now under review.